PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS 6

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Today, the demand for human organs exceeds the supply for them. It is estimated that in the next two to three decades, demand will increase dramatically. Even with new technologies and medical advancements available to combat this issue, the urgent need for human organs is likely to grow over time. Taking this into consideration, new innovations in technologies that differ from standard organ transplant techniques may begin to be applied. 

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Among other approaches to addressing the demand for organs, the use of pluripotent stem cells to replace organs has been considered. If this technique is to be used, the most likely candidate for the donor of stem cells would be the person in need of them. Because the stem cells would already be compatible with the person who needs to receive them, and stem cells have the ability to form any organ, using the patient's own stem cells is a good option for organ transplantation. 

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Though the use of stem cells in replacing organs seems functional, there are some challenges to the idea. One of these challenges is simply the cost of the technology. The research and development for this technique comes at a very high cost, especially given the vast number of people who need new organs. Not only this, but determining how to make the stem cells form the structure and size, while also being able to serve the function of the organ they are replacing, is difficult and will need time to progress. 

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MICROCHIPS 7

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Researchers at the University of Toronto, Dr. Shana Kelley, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and biochemistry, and Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, professor of thoracic surgery, have been working toward using microchips in organ transplantation. These microchips are called fractal circuit sensors, or FraCS, which were developed to locate biomarkers in lung tissue, to indicate the severity or presence of a disease in a body. 

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After more research into the use of microchips in organ transplantation, this technology could decrease waiting times for people in need of organ transplantations and allow more lives to be saved. 

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XENOTRANSPLANTATION 8

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Xenotransplantation is the transplant of non-human organs or cells into a human, using, for example, pigs. A company in Virginia called Revivicor is breeding pigs for organ transplantation in humans. The pigs have been genetically modified, adding human genes to the pigs, so that the organs grown inside the pigs can adapt to a human's body better after transplantation. 

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A pig's organs are of similar size and shape to a human's and pigs are easy to breed, which is why they are being used for xenotransplantation. Pig valves are already used successfully in heart transplants, and the National Blood, Lung, and Heart Institute was able to keep one of Revivicor's pig hearts alive in a baboon stomach for 945 days. Since humans share over 90% of their DNA with baboons, it seems likely that if the technique was able to work in a primate, it could also work in humans as well. 

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Because research for pig-human transplantation is still developing, it has not been possible to sustain life using pig organs. This is due to the fact that the human body is built to reject foreign organs- an immune response is triggered by antibodies against the pig cells. To combat this issue, Revivicor is working to add the human protein thrombulin to their pigs, making it less likely for a body to reject the pig organ. Even with progress in the field of xenotransplantation, direct pig-human transplantations are still far off.

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